I’m a fan of Marlborough wines.

I’m a fan of Grüner Veltliner.

Until fairly recently I was very happy with Marlborough Groovies.

But then thanks to some excellent tastings in Dublin I began to realise that, although New Zealand GVs are very nice, they are only analogous to the simpler style of those from Austria.  Outside of those, there’s a whole world of flavours and textures to try – see here.

And now, I’ve changed my mind again!

This is why:

Nautilus Estate Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2011

I’m a big fan of Nautilus Wines, especially their lovely fizz and gorgeous Chardonnay (one of the best in New Zealand in my opinion).  It’s great that they’ve planted other aromatic grapes as Marlborough’s dry and cool, long growing season is perfect for them.

Normally this style of Grüner is one that is supposedly best drunk young – which is pretty much true for Marlborough Sauvignons.  Alongside citrus and stone fruit and a dash of white pepper, there’s loads of freshness which makes them a joy to drink.  But once the freshness is gone, you can’t get it back – there’s no Shake n’ Vac solution here.

But this wine was inadvertently left till four years after vintage, and yes a little of the freshness had gone, but it was replaced by some lovely toasty notes – just like you would expect from a good Aussie Semillon.

It’s a delicious wine, I just wish I’d held on to my other bottles for longer!

It just goes to show: most wine is drunk far too young!

Please ponder that message and put a few “ordinary” bottles aside to try in a few years.